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I foolishly thought that I was the only one who celebrated his anniversary of living in Los Angeles (or "L.A.nniversary"), but as the years go on, I hear more and more people announce their own milestones.

Perhaps it's because they're constantly surprised by (and proud of) how long they've survived this city. Sure, New York City can chew you up and spit you out, but L.A. does it a little differently. This city tends to take things a little more slowly. First, it woos you with its gorgeous climate and flip-flop-friendly winters, compensating for its god-awful traffic, and then it lulls you into a pleasant buzz with its organic farmers markets, eclectic neighborhoods, and unlimited possibilities. But to make it in this city, to keep your head above the water, you have to be okay with a constantly changing tide -- and a few sharks that want to take a bite out of you -- while remaining focused on the dry, stable land ahead.
No matter what industry you work in, the …

You get a marriage! And you get a marriage! And YOU get a marriage! Everyone gets a marriage!

Marriage equality is now the law of the land. What seemed like such a huge uphill battle back in 2008, when Prop 8 passed in California and crushed the hopes of millions, is now a fully realized victory for every single person in this country who just wants their love respected.

But what does this great day in our nation's history also mean?

The eyes of many wedding planners just turned into cartoon dollar signs...

...And as a single person, I will bitterly have to deal with more wedding registries and buy more gifts. Great.

I would like to preface this post by saying that I have never watched a single episode of E!'s long-running reality trainwreck juggernaut Keeping Up With The Kardashians. I, like many of you, refused to give it any attention, criticizing the "unscripted" show as an exercise in narcissism, ego, and entitlement, proof of America's further descent into a pit of abysmal capitalist desperation.

But something happened earlier this week that made me see this TV family in a new light. When I caught Caitlyn Jenner's Father's Day photo of her mixed brood (Kim! Kanye! Brandon! Oh my!), I was immediately struck by the powerful image -- not because of what they wore or how they spent the holiday. I was affected by what the group shot represents: simply put, the future of America.

Newsweek once predicted that half of these United States of America will be non-white by the year 2050. That's a mere 35 years away. What does that mean? For the first time in this country…

It was an album that defined a decade, heralded the Grrl Movement, turned female angst into brilliant pop artistry, and sparked an obsession within me that would last throughout most of a decade.

Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill was released in the U.S. on June 9, 1995, but I wasn't introduced to the album until months later, sitting in religion class during my sophomore year at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, NY. In what was clearly a pre-social-media, pre-file-sharing era, I had to find out about it through my friend James. He passed along the CD to me as if it were a handwritten note of major importance. (Texting? What's that?)

"Oh my God, you have to listen to this," he told me.

I brought it home later that day with the intention of popping it into my player and making a tape cassette copy of it. But little did I know how hard I would fall for this dynamic collection of music and lyrics that eventually impacted the soundtrack of my adolescence. This officia…

Wannabe pop tart Bonnie McKee, the woman behind many lyrics sung by Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Adam Lambert, released a video for her latest single, and it is a gloriously over-the-top 80s-fest. Glitchy VHS look and all.

CBS's The Briefcase will undoubtedly go on many "Worst of TV" lists at the end of 2015.

After you watch the trailer, remember this: In the fiscal year 2014, CBS chief Les Moonves made in excess of $54 million. In other words, he made more in one day than the entire amount that's offered to each competing family here:

It's all about throwbacks for the most part, thanks to Tinie Tempah and Jess Glynne's 90s-nostalgic jam, "Not Letting Go" and St. Lucia's "Elevate," which sounds like it could've come straight out of the soundtrack to a John Hughes flick. And of course, there are a few flamboyant dance numbers (tis the season), particularly in the form of "Collect My Love," a collaboration between The Knocks and Alex Newell.

As ridiculous as this music video is, one can't deny the hotness of this track: "Good Thing" (the explicit version goes by "Good Shit") is poised to turn my June into a sizzling 30 days of $%&#@*! (censored for obvious reasons).

I could care less about who this Sage The Gemini is. It's Nick Jonas's silky smooth vocals that drive the irresistible chorus of this grind-worthy single. Check it out...and try not to work up too much of a sweat:

Who is The First Echo?

Hiko Mitsuzuka is a self-proclaimed pop culture connoisseur who resides in L.A. and obsesses over pop songs months before everyone else does.
Hiko has worked in TV and commercial production ever since he left his native New York in the early aughts. He has worked at the world-renowned Anonymous Content and freelanced as a treatment writer for award-winning directors, a contributing writer for Instinct, and the Executive Editor of Hotter in Hollywood. Hiko can currently be seen in the roles of Manager of Creative Planning at Stun Creative (PromaxBDA's Agency of the Year, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), film critic for ScreenPicks, entertainment and travel journalist for Bello Mag, and contributor for The Huffington Post.
His hobbies include quoting sitcom dialogue and stalking people on Instagram. His vices include chocolate chip cookies and movie theater popcorn.
Tweet him @TheFirstEcho.